Anchors Media is all about business and spotlighting those who have met their goals in order to make a difference in society. Life is too short not to celebrate achievements small or large, right? We are in the midst of running a series, highlighting the importance of teamwork and the power of entrepreneurship. Without further adieu, we’re sharing Matt Skallerud‘s passion and how he became the President of Pink Banana Media.

Tampa Bay Wave, Inc. a nonprofit dedicated to building, launching, and growing tech companies in Tampa Bay, has joined The Nielsen Foundation to launch the newly created TechDiversity Accelerator program in an effort to foster the growth and development of diverse tech startups in Tampa Bay and beyond.

Have you seen the trend where most media companies today spend all of their marketing time speaking about themselves? Take a look at their social media activity... is their main goal to simply drive traffic back to their website, and from their website, promote their advertisers? Or are they actively promoting their advertisers directly from their social media activity? The answers to these questions will help you determine which LGBT media company, blogger or influencer is right for you. Not only are you asking yourself if they're well aligned with your brand. You should also be asking yourself if they are bringing you, the advertiser, along with them as a partner on their daily journey, as they share, comment, like, post status updates, photos and videos.

What does it take to build an event attended by over 15,000 women annually for over two decades? I asked the founder of the Dinah, one of the world's largest events for lesbians and women of all backgrounds, about her experience running a successful event for over 25 years.

Sexual wellness widely refers to wellbeing related to sexuality. Products that enhance sexual health and experience include condoms, sensual lingerie, lubricants, sex toys, contraceptives, costumes, and enhancement supplements. These products enhance pleasure during intimacy. They are entering the mainstream media, and the market is getting bigger every year because of their growing acceptance. The analysts forecast the sexual wellness market in the US to grow at a CAGR of 9.47% during the period 2017-2021 .

Matt Skallerud's insight:

One of the major drivers for this market is the growing LGBT population in country. A distinct population group in which individuals identify themselves in terms of their sexual orientation, specifically as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, is collectively referred as the LGBT population. In the US, this segment is a key part of the entire population, and they are of more significance for the sexual wellness market as they are the primary end-users of the several types of products sold in the market. In 2011, the first national data was emerged for the LGBT population in the US. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law collated data from four national and two state-level surveys and approximated around eight million people belonged to LGBT community in 2011. However, in 2016, over 3.1% of the US population identified themselves as LGBT.

Check out this 30-minute clip from our recent interview with the John Nash & Tim Bennett of the Focus Group Radio, where we talk about the power of social media, especially Instagram and Twitter, and how LGBTQ Influencers are leveraging these platforms for business. We also talk about other LGBTQ media and organizations using these platforms in the same way influencers are, including Pink Banana Media and the #ILoveGay network, bringing clients & businesses into the LGBTQ social media conversation.

Campari-owned vodka brand Skyy has unveiled a limited edition, pre-mixed lime and soda expression which features an ‘engagement ring’ in the place of the ring-pull to celebrate equal marriage rights in Australia.

STRV, a leading Silicon Valley app and web development studio, is creating a new STRV Labs division to bring to market more innovative, customized apps as well as potentially an incubator, in conjunction with a reality TV show, that would champion female founders and entrepreneurs... STRV’s in-house project portfolio includes a trio of dating apps geared toward the LGBT community, Surge, Grizzly and Zoe, as well as two games, ColorMe and Dot 2 Dot.

Matt Skallerud's insight:

STRV’s in-house project portfolio includes a trio of dating apps geared toward the LGBT community, Surge, Grizzly and Zoe, as well as two games, ColorMe and Dot 2 Dot.

Diageo North America, a global leader in beverage alcohol, announced that it will receive the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Award at the 2018 HRC Greater New York Gala on Saturday, February 3, 2018. Diageo will be honored for its work related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) workplace equality.

ConnXus today announced its corporate partnership with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), accelerating the supplier management company's mission to open inclusive procurement opportunities to diverse businesses. NGLCC is the nation's exclusive certifying body for LGBT owned and operated businesses.

LGBTQ people can learn a lot from a former military veteran who, at 39, was afraid to come out to his Sicilian-Catholic mother and since became a multimedia publishing powerhouse for LGBTQ people, travel and goodwill.

The Bay Area Reporter has been sold to a gay man who has helmed the legacy LGBTQ publication in various capacities for more than 20 years. Michael Yamashita, who has been the publisher of the B.A.R. since 2013 and was the paper's longtime general manager, has purchased the paper after acquiring shares from two former investors. The deal was announced Monday, December 18, in an all-hands staff meeting.

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